The Open Space Newsletter fall edition. A farewell to Jodi Hedderig, Open Space Visitor Center fall calendar of events, information about the art exhibit PARCH and more! Plus, the ever popular Duende's Onion!

Tony Barron, Assistant Open Space Superintendent, started working for the City’s Parks and Recreation Department on November 15th, 1982. He will be retiring this fall. Here, Tony recounts some of his early experiences at the Open Space Division.

It’s hard to believe that summer is just about over and fall is creeping upon us. Once again we made it through fire closures and drought followed by over three inches of rain in July, with an epic storm blasting 90MPH winds. El Duende’s Pulaski needs a good sharpening after having to deal with all those trees and branches that were blocking our bosque trails.

While closures are in effect, the City and the Open Space Division strive to provide our citizens with recreational
opportunities throughout the year. The Open Space Summer Series (details on page 7) continues through August and offers many chances to enjoy the outdoors and some of the best music, entertainment
and speakers in Albuquerque.

Spring is a busy time in Open Space. We welcome volunteer support as the
weather warms and we prepare for summer. I will give you some headlines of
ways you can participate. Don’t forget that the Open Space Alliance rewards
volunteers with food and prizes at our cleanup projects. Bring the whole family to
these exciting events!

In the spring of 2011 the City of Albuquerque’s Open Space Division (OSD) submitted a project to the “International
Awards for Liveable Communities” (LivCom Awards) in Berkshire, England. Albuquerque’s submission was
“Glass Gardens” Environmental Restoration and Habitat Enhancement. This year the LivCom Awards committee
announced that the City of Albuquerque was one of only a few cities in the United States chosen as a ﬁ nalist for the
Project Awards. Congratulations are due to the City’s Open Space Division for receiving this important recognition.

This year the Open Space Alliance announces a new Board of Directors. They are: President – Sallie McCarthy; Vice-President – Jack Clifford; Secretary – Steve Glass; and Treasurer – Elizabeth Young. I want to thank Steven Hamp for his years of
service as President, and we are grateful that he will continue to serve on the board. The board meets on the 3rd Thursday of
the month at 4:00 p.m. at the Open Space Visitor Center. We welcome your attendance anytime

After the cold of winter passes and the temperatures slowly increase, so too does the
visitation to the City of Albuquerque’s vast Open Space Network. Every year hundreds of volunteers come out to do much-needed work to spruce up the City’s Open
Space properties for the summer. The dedication and enthusiasm that these volunteers bring when doing their part to beautify our city never ceases to amaze me.

As of April we’ve ofﬁ cially kicked off our volunteer event season with the month-long
Sandia Foothills Open Space Clean Ups! After April, throughout the spring and summer you can get out and help the Open Space Division and enjoy the warm weather at
the same time.

The City of Albuquerque’s Open Space Division is proud to announce the opening of its newest bike trail!
Take a ride or a stroll on a new addition to the West Mesa trails network. The Paseo de la Mesa Trail runs from 81st
Street (near to the Volcano Cliffs water tanks) up and west almost to Paseo de Volcan.

As summer approaches we look forward to a prosperous
monsoon season. The year started with several storms
with the help of the El Niño cycle. Wildﬂ owers have been in
bloom, insects and reptiles are on the move, and larger mammals can be seen as you hike and explore our wonderful
Open Space lands.

In April, the Sandia Foothills Open Space cleanup
will kick-off another year of outdoor volunteerism. There
is a contagious enthusiasm when you gather early on a
Saturday morning with neighbors and fellow trail users to
work on projects that will benefit our Major Public Open
Space areas.

Greetings from the Mayor’s Office! It is an honor to serve you as Mayor of the
great city of Albuquerque, home to one of the best Open Space systems in the
country and endless opportunities for outdoor recreation. Our family is very
active in outdoor activities such as hiking and skiing, and we’re so happy that
the Open Space Division is here to offer over 29,000 acres of land for our
community’s enjoyment.

A score and five years ago, our city fathers brought forth a new division
conceived for everybody and dedicated to the proposition that not all
land is created equal. At that time our community was engaged in a
great struggle to prevent the loss of its character to the wrecking ball or
the bulldozer blade. And while there have been setbacks, the victories
were greater and the result has been beyond impressive.

Summer is in full swing and visitation to Open Space
lands is at an all time high. Not only does the warmer
weather increase visitation to Open Space properties, it
also brings out the spirit of volunteerism in people as
well.

While hiking, mountain biking, or horseback riding on one of the numerous trails of the Sandia Foothills Open Space, it’s easy to forget that this beautiful landscape looked quite different in the early days of the Open Space Division.

In 1984, a new Division was formed within the City’s
Parks and Recreation Department. Known as the Open Space Division, its employees were charged with the responsibility of protecting and managing environmentally and culturally significant lands in and around the City of Albuquerque.

The Open Space Alliance is proud to be the host for the City of Albuquerque Open Space Visitor Center’s 3rd Annual Open Space: A View with Room. This fantastic art show runs through December 11th. All of the art work in the show depicts the many lands being preserved as part of the City of Albuquerque’s Open Space System. The paintings primarily highlight and bring into focus the variety of spaces that are available in the city of Albuquerque.